Morningland Dairy of Missouri, the farmstead cheese operation that has been shut down and under investigation by the FDA and Missouri Milk Board since August 26th finally obtained agreement from the Milk Board to properly test their cheese. Morningland, a farmstead raw cheese company, was shut down over concern by the Missouri Milk Board and the FDA that their cheese may harbor harmful bacteria.

On Monday November 8th, Morningland Dairy attorney Gary Cox, of Farm to Consumer Legal Defense Fund, informed Morningland that an agreement had been reached with the Missouri Attorney General’s office which will allow Morningland to test batches of their cheese that have been under embargo since August by the Missouri Milk Board.

The Missouri Attorney General’s office, representing the Missouri Milk Board in legal action against Morningland Dairy, offered eight stipulations under which they would not object to the dairy testing their cheese. After negotiations, Morningland Dairy and the Missouri Milk Board settled on six requirements to be followed. The stipulations agreed to are that the Milk Board be present, have three representatives observing, receive split samples of the cheese, approve the sampling and analysis process, receive results after testing, and receive production dates of sampled cheese. The two stipulations that were dropped were the advance identification of the lab to do the testing and the identity of the individual who designed the protocol for test sample collection. The removal of these conditions is significant to Morningland because approved laboratories are licensed by the agencies investigating the contamination, and this secures the opportunity for testing through a non-affiliated lab in the nature of a double-blind study. During the course of the investigation Joseph and Denise Dixon, owners of Morningland Dairy, have maintained that they should be allowed to do properly sampled tests on the alleged contaminants to clear their cheese for sale. Denise Dixon said, “It seems to me that if tests that are done improperly can condemn our cheese, accurately done tests should be able to exonerate the cheese.”

Conversely, Don Falls of the Missouri Milk Board has stated, “If you want to do testing for investigational purposes only, that would be fine.” The Milk Board has held that all Morningland Dairy’s cheese is suspect and must be destroyed. Joe Dixon responds, “We hope that the Milk Board will see reason. If properly collected test results indicate the cheese is clear of contamination, we should be allowed to sell and resume production.”

The agreement does not state that Morningland Dairy may resume normal business operations if tests indicate no pathogenic concerns.

Family Farm Ordered to Destroy 50,000 Pounds of CheeseBy Kimberly Hartke | Published: October 11, 2010NOTE: This farm is a few miles from Nature's Pace Sanctuary. We have been customers for ten years. This is a ridiculous situation that will put these folks out of business unless some one can insert some reasonableness into this case. The State of Missouri is way overboard on this.HB-C

Morningland Dairy is the latest attempt by the FDA to fulfill the Healthy People 2020 objective to kill raw dairy. Morningland is owned by Joseph and Denise Dixon, who operate the cheese plant and make raw cheese from cows kept right on the property and managed by one of their eldest daughters. They have 12 children, 4 who still live at home, and they have been actively engaged in real food for decades. They were caught up in the Rawesome Raid dragnet and many believe the questionable California Dept of Food and Agriculture tests on their cheese are the legal justification for the multi-agency guns drawn raid at Rawesome.Farm’s Perfect Safety Record Matters Not to Authorities Morningland Calf

Morningland Calf and Farmer's DaughterIn the thirty years of Morningland Dairy operations NO ONE has become ill from consuming their products. Yet they have been ordered by the Missouri Milk Board to destroy ALL of their cheese without actual tests being performed on the cheese stock. This is nearly 50,000 pounds of cheese, or approximately $250,000.

Since the Milk Board and the FDA showed up at Morningland on August 26th, they have been “embargoed” from shipping or making any product. They dumped their milk for nearly six weeks before being approved to send it into homogenized, pasteurized distribution. All the while, they have had to pay the bill to keep the dairy and cheese plant operable.

On September 24th, the Milk Board verbally ordered Morningland to destroy their product. Morningland asked that this order be put in writing. One week later the order was hand delivered to General Manager/owner, Joseph Dixon. The order states that in three business days the Milk Board would contact them with when and how the cheese was to be destroyed.Morningland Rebuts the Destroy Order and Offers a SolutionBringing-in-mother-newborn

Bringing in Mother and her Newborn CalfMorningland dared to publish a written objection to committing suicide, a rebuttal and proposed remedy. They rebutted many of the stated “facts” in the 10-page order, Destroy Orders: Morningland Dairy. The Morningland Dairy then offered a reasonable, logical, scientifically sound remedy to destruction on the afternoon of October 6th.Gov’t Pushes Forward to Destroy Cheese, and Farm

The next morning, they were served with a restraining order and preliminary injunction by the Attorney General’s office of Missouri. They were to be in court the very next day. In sum, they were ordered to destroy their wealth on Friday, asked for logic and justice on Wednesday, notified they were being sued on Thursday and ordered to be in court on Friday.

At 4:50pm on Thursday, the Attorney General’s office called and canceled court because one or two of their witnesses couldn’t attend. Never mind that a family run dairy and cheese plant with 9 families making a living through it should mount a legal defense against destruction in one day. It’s another raid using Gestapo legal tactics that fit the MO of the FDA and their minions….or sub agents, if you prefer.

As readers of this blog and those in the real food movement know, the FDA has a mission. They have blatantly stated that you have no right to consume foods of your choice, and the FDA Plant and Dairy head has a documented Howard Hughes like fear of raw dairy. They are happy to use their resources to “protect” you from consuming things that don’t make any one ill. They’ve reduced science to superstition. If they get more power through S.510, they will regulate the family farm and real food to death and give you Cheez Whiz and Twinkies as government approved food.Goat-milk-bottle-calves

Feeding Goat Milk to the Calves at Morningland Dairy FarmWhat You Can Do to Help

To fight for your right to choose what you want to eat, Morningland must be able to go on the offense. They are willing to sacrifice everything they have worked for to stand for your ability to eat real food.

Friends of Morningland have put up a website, The Uncheese Party. They are asking supporters to sponsor a cheese to help the family out financially: http://uncheese-party.webs.com/

For as little as $5 you can tell the FDA and their minions that you are smart enough to decide what you want to eat and don’t need their permission or “help” to figure out what is “good for us”. This battle must be won.

doreen-hannes For several years, Doreen Hannes has been actively exposing the agencies and organizations that desire to control the food supply through international agreements, treaties and the agency rule making and legislative processes. A married homesteader, raiser of food, critters and children, she has dedicated herself to exposing the truth behind the disinformation being spouted by those who would benefit financially from controlling independent agriculture.

Stanley Fishman Posted October 13, 2010 at 12:28 pm This stinks to high heaven. The cheese at the farm was tested over 100 times since the government wanted to destroy it and nothing was found!

If a sample in California showed something, that has nothing to do with the cheese in Missouri. The California sample could have been improperly stored, it could have been contaminated by those who seized it, it proves NOTHING about the safety of the cheese in Missouri.

Most of the cheese in Europe, including all the famous traditional varieties, are raw cheeses. Nobody dies or gets sick from them.

But any food can develop bad bacteria if it is improperly stored, or contaminated. If the cheese in Missouri, which tested safe over 100 times, with no contamination found, can be destroyed because of a sample in California, then all food should be destroyed by the government, because all food has the potential to be contaminated.

The actions of the authorities are not just tyrannical, they are unreasonable and devoid of logic.Visit the Back 40 Books Cheesemaking Department: